Blogging for the Gray Wolf

I know we are battling to save wolves in the lower 48 but we can’t ignore the terrible tragedy taking place in Canada. Alberta is waging war on its wolves. It’s the same story over and over, money, greed and power.

Tar Sands oil development is destroying caribou habitat in Alberta. Instead of dealing with the loss of caribou habitat caused by industrial development, the Alberta government has decided to poison thousands of wolves to “increase” caribou numbers, even though it’s been proven wolves consume mainly deer (80%) and just 10% caribou.

Strychnine laced bait is being used to poison the wolves. If anyone has ever witnessed an animal suffer from strychnine poisoning you will never forget it. My dog was poisoned with strychnine and suffered terrible Grand Mal seizures. Luckily she survived but not without swift medical attention and even then she almost died. The Alberta wolves are not so lucky.

“DeSmogBlog investigates the controversial decision by Alberta’s government to ignore the threat of rapid industrial expansion in the Alberta Tar Sands region, and instead kill thousands of wolves to appear to be doing something to save dwindling woodland caribou populations. Through interviews with scientists, wildlife experts and a First Nations chief, the myth of Canada’s “ethical oil” is further exposed as oil industry greenwashing.”

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In the latest and perhaps most astonishing display of the tar sands industry’s attacks on science and our democracy, the government of Alberta has made plans to initiate a large-scale wolf slaughterto provide cover for the destruction wrought by the industrialization of the boreal forest ecosystem.

In the coming years, an anticipated 6,000 wolves will be gunned down from helicopters above, or killed by poison strychnine bait planted deep in the forest. Biologists and other experts say the cull is misguided, and that their studies have been ignored or suppressed. Worse, they warn that although the government is framing the wolf cull as a temporary measure, it has no foreseeable end.

Recently the Alberta government proposed a plan to open this brutal form of ‘wildlife management’ to other regions, suggesting an extensive and costly cull in place of more responsible industrial development.

This is clear evidence of the fact that Alberta’s tar sands oil is unquestionably conflict oil, despite the propaganda spouted by the“ethical oil” deception campaign. Aside from its disruptive affects on wildlife, tar sands oil is dirty, carbon intensive and energy inefficient from cradle to grave.

And that’s without mentioning the role the tar sands boom has played in Canada’s slide from climate leader to key villain on the international stage. Beyond its environmental consequences, tar sands extraction has negatively affected local tourism and recreation-based economies, impacted public health and torn at the rich fabric of cultural diversity and pride among Albertans and all Canadians.

Behind the Harper administration’s unbounded drive to drown Canada’s reputation in tar sands oil pollution lies the political corruption characteristic of the classic petro-state. Free speech is being oppressed, while respected members of the scientific community claim they are being muzzled, ignored and intimidated.

The wolf cull is ostensibly designed to protect northern Alberta’s woodland caribou, a species that in recent years has become critically threatened. But scientists have ridiculed the plan, saying this sort of ‘wildlife management’ turns the wolf into an innocent scapegoat, while the real culprit – the province’s aggressive timber, oil and gas development – is spared any real scrutiny or accountability.

According to this strategy, caribou and wolf alike fall prey to another kind of predator: multinational corporations.

Wolves to be Poisoned Over Tar Sands in Canada

“Wolf pups are likely innocent victims of Canadian oil and gas development.”

Late last week, internal documents went public showing Canada is fretting over its sullied reputation for unfettered fossil fuel development, while resorting to poisoning wolves rather than fixing the problem. NWF released a paper today showing tar sands, oil and gas development in Canada is contributing to the decline in caribou herds. Rather than improve environmental practices to protect and restore caribou habitat, Canadian wildlife officials are poisoning wolves with strychnine-laced bait. The news comes as Alberta and Canadian officials scramble to address environmental monitoring failures that are wreaking havoc up north.

The highly controversialKeystone XL pipelineproposal would move this Canadian dirty oil through the heartland of the U.S. to export, making the U.S. complicit in causing excruciating wildlife culling.

Strychnine progresses painfully from muscle spasms to convulsions to suffocation over a period of hours. The NWF paper says the poison will also put at risk animals like raptors, wolverines and cougars that eat the poisoned bait or scavenge on the carcasses of poisoned wildlife.

Here’s what Canada’s Minister of Environment Peter Kent said in September: “Culling is an accepted if regrettable scientific practice and means of controlling populations and attempting to balance what civilization has developed. I’ve got to admit, it troubles me that that’s what is necessary to protect this species,” Kent commented. Simon Dyer of the Pembina Institute estimates that many thousands of wolves could be destroyed over five years.

Instead of resorting to euphemistic descriptions of a repugnant method of killing, Mr. Kent and Canadian officials should be stopping the habitat destruction in the first place. Destroying and fragmenting caribou habitat to produce one of the dirtiest fuels on the planet means fewer caribou and fewer wolves just to line the pockets of Big Oil.

It’s increasingly par for the course in Canada, as the nation continues its slide from “Green to Gray.” What’s disturbing is that Keystone XL commits the U.S. to a decades-long partnership in these ”crimes” against wildlife.

Thanks for the heads up Oliver, it was so informative and moving, I couldn’t let this issue pass without raising my voice. I know we have our own wolf persecution here but Canada is actually worse, if that’s possible.

Just when I thought the irrational, stupid wolf hating couldn’t get any worse, this happens. I’ve signed the petition at change.org and my comments are as follows, “It would seem that Canada is racing to catch up with its southern neighbour in the race to see who can invent the most stupid reasons for exterminating the wolf, just to cover up for their failures to manage industrial development or bad ranching practices. They should hang their heads in shame, but, because of their arrogance and ignorance they won’t “.
“The greatness of a nation and it’s moral progress can be judged by the way it’s animals are treated…”~Mahatma Ghandi
I’ve also signed the petition to the producers of the so called reallity program “On Your Own Adventures” hosted by that missing link also known as Randy Newberg, it’s just a shame he didn’t fall out of the helicopter. Something I’ve noticed about some of these petitions, is that they don’t seem to aim very high when it comes to the amount of signatures they seek to get. I’m a proud member of an organisation called AVAAZ, they have a worldwide membership of 15,764,900 ( and growing by the second, which makes them the largest campaigning group on the planet ! ) and have successfully campaigned on wildlife, environmental, humanitarian and political issues for the last 7 years, please look at their site
( http://www.avaaz.org ) to see a long list of their successes in many different fields, as an example of numbers of signatures, they’ve just got over 1 million since August 27th for a petition about a young girl with mental disabilities from a Christian family in Pakistan who is in a maximum-security jail charged with blasphemy against the Koran, a local crowd wanted to burn her to death! On their site they have a facility for starting your own petition, the young girls one was started by her mother, I don’t know of any other organisation that has that amount of effective protest power. Although I live in the Spanish Canary Islands I’ve joined many of their campaigns most of which have been very successful on a variety of issues worldwide, some of which have been directed at the US government, for example in January 2012 ” In just 3 weeks, over 3 million of us worldwide signed a petition opposing a scandalous bill that would give the US government the right to shut down any website – targeting sites like YouTube, WikiLeaks and even Avaaz! We worked with other organisations such as DemandProgress, and President Obama’s team responded. Avaaz organised a 1 hour meeting with top White House officials to deliver the petition. The White House subsequently condemned the bill and key backers withdrew their support. As of right now, the Internet censorship bill is dead in the water. When we started, everyone told us the bill could not be stopped, now it’s been ditched by both parties — a huge win for internet freedom and for people power! ” quoted from the AVAAZ site. I apologise for being long winded but, I honestly think it would be a good idea to try to harness the strength of this organisation to put massive targeted pressure on those individuals and official bodies that seek to threaten the wolf and its environment wherever they roam, mainly in the interests of big oil or ranching etc. or just plain ignorant prejudice. Here’s hoping that this time, people both sides of the border listen to common sense, but I won’t be holding my breath.
Keep on fighting Nabeki.

Sad as it may be Nabeki, but we have no jurisdiction in Canada. Fighting for these animals in other countries is a bigger problem. the citzens of Canada will have to speak out on their own. I can only hope for a global law regarding the treatment animals receive from huanity.

It is HEARTBREAKING. I sent the Senator of PA a message. What would you do if someone killed one of your family? Again, I will never forget watching a farmer kill a Husky. He thought it was a Wolf. This was in Iowa. I was six years old. I RAN home crying. I was so thankful my Dad was there to calm me down.

This is why we cannot continue to be (a)pathetic or complacent about losing our wolves again in the lower 48 by saying “oh well, if the wolves go extinct again in the lower 48, they’ll always have them in Canada and other countries.” Wolves and wildlife in general are meeting the same fates as they do in the US as they is being crowded out of existence due to human population and human needs that go along with that growth such as cattle, food crops, transportation and oil and power.

Absolutely. If anyone raises the issue of population control they are drowned out by religions who do not even believe in birth control. Those concerned about the environment and the fate of the other creatures of this earth are derisively referred to as “tree huggers” and “animal lovers” and reminded that only human beings count.

I will continue to e-mail, write, call, donate, and sponsor to help the wolves and farmed animals and stop rodeos, circuses, etc. But I fear the worst. We are fighting human meanness and greed and the biblical-dominionist beliefs that animals are ours to use. The animals cannot vote and do not have big bank accounts. Most of us are not millionaires. We can vote, but our representatives are being lobbied by the big interests we are fighting against. So sad.

PLEASE keep our voices open. Contact local Universities with Environmental Science Departments. The big HOOPLA is “going green.” Prove it, I say. Spout all the rhetoric you prefer. The FACT is WE are destroying Our Planet. Not the beautiful “Critters” we live with.

In 2010, Montana Governor Schweitzer authorized the killing of wolves using the same poison. This type of cruelty has been going on right here at home. When the article about it appeared in the Missoulian, no one protested or did a thing about it. Our wolves are being killed by apathy and indifference as well as poison. If we could have stopped the wolf killing in Alaska (2004- present time), if we could have stopped the wolf killing in Montana and Idaho (2011-2012), then we would not be observing the planned slaughters in Wisconsin and other states. Our politicians in both major parties do not care about the natural beauty in this country or our wildlife. They are quick to override regulations regarding clean water, clean air, and contamination of our soil.
We need our own political candidates who will be willing to stand up to the corrupt politicians and fight for a healthy balance in nature.

Your comment is SAD but so very true. As a student of Our Planet, it is suprising how little our “so called elected” care. I have been called naive. I am not. I am EXTREMELY empathetic and will fight to help in any way I can.

Canada has learned some deadly habits from Obama, and whether or not, the darn pipeline is brought down through the states, that has nothing to do with the slaughter and poisoning that is being carried out by the Canadian government. If we don’t buy their oil…that has NOTHING to do with what they are doing to the wolf. They will just sell to Japan and the horror will continue. I can’t believe that Canada is just as bad as the idiots in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming (to mention a few). I do not know how to stop them.. Scientists from Biological Diversity Org, NWF and many others have proof that shows the Canadian government that what they are doing is as barbaric as you can get. The scientists have shown them the statistics, and for the Canadian officials to ignore these facts….I now consider Canada an enemy of the United States, and the Obama administration an enemy of our wolves who have the love and support of thousands. I hope that some miracle happens and Canada and the barbaric monsters that the states unfortunately house come to a rude awakening that what they are doing is wrong…and very dangerous to not only the wolves but to our whole Eco System, which will and is affecting humans already.

“I am a student. I will be receiving a Master’s In Environmental Science very soon. How on Earth can your Government (as in the US) condone the Slaughter of a hapless species for a few pounds of Tar? Is the ALMIGHTY Dollar / Pound worth the eradication of an Ecosystem? I truly hope and Pray you will hear the voices of the Biologists in charge. I will advise we will not give up this fight for these incredible, social animals. If you kill one out of their Family dynamic, it hurts all. Imagine if someone shot one of YOUR family members from a helicopter. Worse yet, POISON. The key is EMPATHY. Live life. Do not destroy.”

This blog is dedicated to the memory of Wolf 253, the beloved Yellowstone Druid wolf named Limpy, who was shot and killed in March 08, on the very day ESA protections were lifted for the gray wolf, by the then Bush Administration.